Tonight's Dinner: Mofongo with shrimp recipe

Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom with a passion for writing, vintage clothes, old movies and cooking, especially dinners and desserts. Jennifer loves writing so much that whenever she has a spare moment, she spends it writing fiction or ad...

Plantains go perfectly with shrimp

Mofongo, a Puerto Rican comfort food, is a delicious combination of mashed plantains and crushed pork rinds. That's right -- pork rinds. While it may sound awful, it's one of the yummiest concoctions on the east coast.

Fried plantains are a classic Cuban side dish (or dessert) that's a nice, relatively healthy treat. Pork rinds, on the other hand, are a deep-fried snack that tends to satisfy munchies while sitting in front of the television. I never, in a million years, would've considered blending these two treats together. Then again, before I'd heard of mofongo, I'd never considered ingesting a pork rind either. (When I want something salty and crunchy, I reach for the potato chips.) Then Guy Fieri talked about mofongo on his show and I admit, I was intrigued. See, I'm a huge fan of all things salty and sweet, so when Guy talked about how delicious it was and then suggested topping the comfort food with shrimp, I jumped right on board. The end result was pure bliss. Who knew plantains and pork rinds could go so well together. Don't believe me? Give it a try tonight.

Mofongo with shrimp

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ounce fried pork rinds, crushed

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 large green plantains, peeled and sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:

Mash two-thirds of the minced garlic with the pork rinds and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl and set aside.

Fry the plantains in the vegetable oil until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash in another bowl with one tablespoon of olive oil. Whisk in the pork rind mixture until well combined. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in another large skillet. Add the shrimp and remaining garlic and cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about three minutes.

Spoon the mofongo into bowls, top with the cooked shrimp and serve immediately.